Where The Truth Lies
by Setsuna Seta
Summary: Heero's an angel, Duo's a demon, and they're both after one thing: Quatre's vision. Will Wufei be able to protect the little blonde or will Trowa get to him first? Pairings: 12 34 brief mention of 45 and a hell of a lot more
1. The Ceremony

Just a few words before the start:

Apart from the fact that I don't own GW, this fic contains some religious thematic that some people might not be comfortable with. It's not too much nor too deep, but if you don't really like it then I suggest you hit the back button on your browser, same goes for some lemony parts. Other than that, I really hope you enjoy this new fic I've come up with.

**XXX XXX XXX**

**THE CEREMONY**

Quatre Raberba Winner came from a long line of psychics. Most of his ancestors had had that rare gift of being able to establish contact with the supernatural. Quatre was the youngest member of his family at the moment and it was his turn to be formally accepted into their tradition. For some reason though, he knew it wasn't going to be easy.

Usually at the age of sixteen the member of the family that was about to be initiated had a very peculiar vision. Having it meant he or she was ready. If he didn't get it, he would have to postpone his initiation for next year. This made him quite nervous, as his entire family was expectant on him making it this year.

On the special day, some hours before the ceremony, his best friend, Dorothy Catalonia, came by to visit, and hopefully comfort, the jumpy boy…

"You are SO going to blow it!" shrieked Dorothy delighted. Quatre simple wished he could drown himself in his cup of tea.

"Thank you Dorothy" replied Quatre in a rather high-pitched voice, unable to tear his gaze away from his cup. For some reason it had started shaking in his hand, dangerously threatening to spill its contents down his front.

"I'm just joking!" added Dorothy seeing her best friend's obvious state of nervousness, "you're gonna be fine. You've already had some visions before, that's a good sign"

"Might I remind you Dorothy, that those visions came only after you got me drunk as hell on Hilde's last birthday party. They can hardly be considered as real visions, you know?"

"Hmm…" Dorothy had a dreamy face on, remembering Quatre laughing madly at the party and about to throw a strip show for the birthday girl on top of her table before he was stopped by Hilde's furious brothers. Moments like that one were priceless.

"Snap back to reality Dorothy! If this vision actually comes-"

"It will, stop fretting about it"

"But what if it doesn't?"

"Then fake it"

Quatre raised his head, a short spasm of hope shinning through his eyes. But it left as fast as it came.

"Impossible" replied Quatre turning back to his shaking tea. "My Dad says you enter a sort of special trance… I've never seen it so I won't know how to fake it… They'll know at once I'm pretending"

Dorothy stared compassionately at her friend. She set her cup on the table and hugged him. Quatre set his own cup on the table and embraced Dorothy in return.

"You'll be fine" whispered Dorothy, "everything's gonna be alright"

XXX XXX XXX

Dressed in his ceremonial robes, Quatre found walking itself to be a rather complicated task. The maroon woollen robe was so long it fell in folds all around him. He had to walk carefully to avoid tripping over it and he had to drag it as well. It didn't seem it, but it was surprisingly heavy for being such a simple piece of fabric. How he approached the ceremonial space was a total mystery for him, but when he got there, he discovered that the effort of walking under such garments had made him forget all about what came next.

Lined up to either sides of a path were his family and guests, all dressed up in white. Dorothy was not too far away from the start. At the end stood his father holding the edge of a rope, waiting for him with a warm smile.

_Well… this is it _thought Quatre.

He began advancing, aware that all eyes were set on him. There was a deep silence broken only by the sound of the heavy robe being dragged down the path. Right ahead was his father with the rope. Up close now he could see that a circle had been formed with the rope around a stone altar. Once he was level with his father, he turned and faced the guests.

"Here we are gathered, dear family and friends, to present the youngest member of the proud Winner family", spoke his father in a loud clear voice. "May the light of truth and knowledge invest upon him their gifts and allow him to See"

"Follower of the truth, seeker of the one true Light, go forth and let your destiny join you", began to chant the guests.

Quatre now felt adrenaline running through his veins. With his dad's spectacular introduction and the rhythmic, droning chant of those conforming the rows of family and friends, Quatre suddenly had a feeling of emptiness in his stomach. He could hear his heart drumming loudly and as he approached the entrance to the circle, he suddenly became deaf to anything outside. All he saw and heard were the altar, his footsteps, and his heart.

_What if I fail? _

_"There's nothing to be worried about" _told him his dad the previous night, _"if nothing happens then it means you're not ready and you can try next year, but that's not important… your mother and I won't love you less, nor the rest think wrongly about you. And if you see something, it's nothing to worry about either. It doesn't hurt and it won't affect you in any everlasting way." _His father's warm smile comforted him.

But now Quatre was certain of one thing; as he set foot inside the circle he immediately felt it. A vague sense of drowsiness took hold of his body and the only thought that fill his mind was:

_Take the chalice and drink _

He had only just noticed the chalice on top of the altar, but his thoughts seemed to go ahead of him. His father never told him anything about it, nor what was he supposed to do with it. A clear, transparent liquid, lay inside it. Quatre was completely sure it wasn't water, but he really didn't have much time to wonder, as the voice in his mind ordered him to drink.

_Drink it! _

The voice was now louder. It didn't sound like the voice of someone he knew, or like his own voice, but he was absolutely sure it belonged to him. It wasn't just a thought and it was very commanding. It kept insisting.

_DRINK NOW! _

XXX XXX XXX

Chang Wufei was a scholar in his last year at History career. Ever since he could remember, he was a keen researcher of the past. His own family tree that went down twelve generations had been his highest accomplishment at the age of fifteen. Now, he was mostly interested in religious myths and was utterly fascinated by catholic religion. Was there really a God? Was Satan really an angel before he was cast down to Hell? He found questions of the sort quite interesting.

Fortunately for him, a mentor of his was keen on such investigations as well. He was an old, very rich, man, and decided to give him a chance to discover the truth. Wufei was currently enjoying the benefits of a well-funded research trip, and just as he was ready to make his way to Egypt from The Vatican, he unexpectedly found an old friend of his at Internet, in the messenger. It was a woman, about 25, with braids hanging at either side of her head.

"Hi Wufei," spoke the woman, "I wasn't expecting to find you here"

"Hello Sally, how've you been?" answered Wufei mildly impressed.

"Quite alright, thanks for asking. I heard you're about to come back. How did your project go over at The Vatican?"

"Well, you know, the church won't let anything out, especially if it's considered threatening by them, and let's say that the files I was looking for weren't exactly what you'd call perfectly safe… but other than that, it was an excellent trip, very illustrative"

"I'm glad to hear that. So, when are you getting here?"

"I leave tomorrow at midday. I expect to arrive somewhere between four or five in the afternoon"

"Oh that's great! You might be able to make it in time for the ceremony!"

"Ceremony?"

"Yes, the initiation ceremony. I suppose you've heard of the Winner family?"

"Who hasn't? That long line of psychics and fortune-tellers…"

"They're more than just that," replied Sally annoyed at her friend's comment. "You talk of them like they're a bunch of cheap story-tellers!"

"All right Sally, I'm sorry. However, why exactly would I want to attend such ceremony, according to you?"

"Well…" Sally seemed to be carefully choosing her words, "they have a lot of connection with the subject you're investigating, and maybe your assistance to such a ceremony might enlighten you"

"Hn…"

"I only thought you might find it interesting, even if you don't entirely believe it"

"Well, if I make it on time I'll be there"

"Great! Be at my place, 7 pm and we can go together, kay?"

Wufei sighed. Maybe Sally was right, a visit like that might prove educational and, in the pursuit of truth, he had to be willing to experiment new circumstances. "Fine Sally, I'll be there. Now I have to go, see you tomorrow".

XXX XXX XXX

The contents inside the chalice were cool, but as they went down, they burned Quatre's throat leaving him sputtering and coughing. The voice in his head immediately stopped and he suddenly became well aware of his surroundings. Slowly, he turned. All eyes were anxious on him, everyone waited for something to happen. For a whole minute Quatre just stood there, looking back and forth, not feeling any different. The suggestion Dorothy made earlier of faking it had just began to worm its way back into Quatre's mind when he felt it.

A blow to his face, kind of like getting hit square in the nose with a baseball bat, threw him backwards and made him stumble over the robes and fall right on top of the altar. No one had approached him, though.

He raised himself bewildered and immediately felt his nose for any bleeding. There was none, not even a broken bone, as he expected, and the chalice was at his feet, the contents entirely spilled on his robes. Embarrassed he looked up waiting to see everyone on the floor, laughing madly at him, but the room was empty. In fact, he wasn't even in the room he had been at only a minute ago. Whiteness extended all around him for miles and miles, as far away as he could see.

"Where am I?" his voice echoed in the nothingness. "Is there anyone here?" Still nothing.

He swallowed hard and turned all around in case he could see the tiniest trace of whatever that wasn't white. Perhaps it was part of the ceremony, but his dad never told him anything of seeing white.

"Am I dead?" he asked to the empty space.

_Maybe whatever was in the chalice killed me… or the blow I got on the face… _

He inspected his nose once more and for the first time he realized it didn't even hurt. Still, he stared at his hands and felt tears burning his eyes.

**_ Why are you crying my love? _**

"I don't know"

**_ Are you afraid? _**

"Why should I be?"

**_ Because you're about to learn the truth you've been looking for _**

"What truth?"

**_ Come and see _**

Quatre dragged his robe forward, and for the first time since he got in that strange place did he notice the rope lying on the floor. The rope formed a circle around him and the altar, he now remembered, and he felt safe there, but it was time to leave the safety of certainty behind and discover where everything had come from.

**_ Yes, my dear, come _**

XXX XXX XXX

The airport was tightly packed, as usual, and Wufei was starting to feel a light headache crawl up his head by the time his flight was due. A bored looking lady thanked him for choosing their airlines and bid him a nice flight. Wufei hated flying and was sure it would be anything but nice. Still, it was the quickest way to get back home and he had no choice if he wanted to be back at school in time.

"Hn…" was all he could answer back. Securing his backpack on his shoulders, he made his way to his seat.

"Number six, aisle side…" good, he hated the window side.

A rather large man was already seated on the place next to him. A copy of a recently famous book on religious myths lay on his lap as he stared intently out the window. When Wufei approached his seat the man turned a nervous face to him.

"Good morning" said the man. Wufei nodded politely as a response. "It's my first flight, I'm kind of nervous, but then again, I hear this company is known for being one of the safest in the market. I really can't wait to tell grandma about this, she knows I get vertigo even when I climb up a chair, he, he" the man chuckled at his own joke and offered a hand to Wufei, "the name's Fabrizzio"

Oh great, what promised to be a very talkative guy was seated right next to him. The sort of people that try to engage you into a conversation because they think it relieves stress, not realizing it's annoying. Wufei had a bad feeling that his headache wouldn't get any better.

"I'm Wufei," he answered somewhat reluctantly.

After a while, things hadn't really improved as Wufei's worst fears came true.

"…so I thought, what the hey? You only live once and life shouldn't go to waste, besides, I've always believed that a bit of adrenaline is good from time to time. That's when I decided I should visit the Sistine Chapel. Then…"

Some people really don't know when to shut up. Wufei was really regretting the fact he had forgotten to bring aspirins, when an excellent idea sprung up his brain.

"That's really fascinating" interrupted Wufei all of a sudden not really knowing what was the fascinating subject.

"Isn't it?" replied the man with an almost ecstatic face.

"Yes, but I'm afraid I've got to go. Nature calls"

"Oh, right, I'll wait. When you come back I can start telling you all about how grandma found a wallet at Venice. It was so exiting, she's never found anything in her entire life, can you believe it?"

"Hn…" what he couldn't believe was his luck. Both stalls in the airplane were occupied and he only hoped he wouldn't find a couple coming out of one of them. Sighing for like the hundredth time, he waited five whole minutes for his turn. Luckily, only a woman came out, gave him an awkward smile, and in he went.

He didn't really need to go. The biggest urge he felt at the moment was that of getting rid of the Fabrizzio guy. He splashed some water on his face and dried it with a paper towel. Leaning back on the wall, he realized he couldn't stay there the entire flight, but some minutes of peace were good enough. Ever since there was a tiny, wee, five-year-old Wufei, the flying problem began. After all, who doesn't get a flying problem after the plane crashes?

Back then, Wufei and his dad were the only survivors of the accident. They were flying home when some turbulence caught up to them and made the pilot lose control. Fortunately, they were flying overseas and they had a better chance at survival; they weren't smashed to pulp on hard floor.

The weird part of it is that Wufei could've sworn someone helped him out, someone he never saw. That someone had protected him during the impact, that someone led him out, and that someone reunited him with his dad. He had heard stories before of angels and the sort, helping people out. But he hadn't seen white feathers, or anything like it, only felt the warmth and tranquillity. The only souvenir he got from the incident had been a rather large scar down his back.

After that it had been a long time before he had to fly again, but when the time came, he wasn't scared at all, only annoyed. Too many people made him uneasy and that exclusively was the relatively worse part of flying.

Looking down at his watch he saw they were about to land in some fifteen minutes or so. Well, if that guy kept talking for those last minutes he might have to call the Guinness people; surely being able to talk non-stop for about four whole hours was some sort of a record.

"What took you?" asked Fabrizzio eagerly as Wufei made his way back to his seat.

"Had to wait for my turn," answered Wufei unable to believe he was actually answering politely when what he actually wanted to say was: "What the hell do you care?"

The airport felt like Heaven and Wufei could almost bend down and kiss the floor that finally parted him from the guy. Without a second look back he waved good-bye and left. If Wufei hadn't been Wufei, he could've skipped.

XXX XXX XXX

According to Sally, the kid was sixteen. He was blonde and had beautiful aquamarine eyes. He was clearly struggling against himself, probably debating whether he should make it all the way up to where his Father was standing or simply duck the whole outfit and run like hell in the opposite direction. He didn't blame him, though, if it was him on the blonde's position, he would've really have to be either very brave or very drunk to perform a show of the sort.

Sally was standing right next to him, clad all in white, just like himself. He had to pull at his shirt's neck, the place was so hot and stiff he felt like suffocating. Under all those garments, Wufei actually pitied that boy.

After the kid made his way defiantly and carefully, they all heard some welcome words from Senior Winner and so it all began. But Wufei was almost about to strangle Sally to death when he saw that the only thing the boy did was enter the circle and drink something out of a copper chalice. If he had wanted that, he could've simple gone to church any old day during a mass. Really exiting, whoopee!

But in the middle of rolling his eyes the kid fell, apparently unconscious, on top of the altar. Right at the same moment Wufei felt his heart fall and his legs weak. It was not the impression of seeing the boy faint that made him feel sick, it was something else, and he felt desperate for some reason.

"Aren't you going to do something?" suddenly blurted out Wufei standing in the middle of the path clearly scared. All eyes were set upon him and some were annoyed. How dare a stranger interrupt such an important act? Clearly he was completely ignorant to the fact that the young Winner heir was absolutely fine. He was just sleeping, that was all.

"He's not breathing!" yelled Wufei even more desperate now. How he knew the boy wasn't breathing, he wasn't sure, but he was certain of it, and every precious minute that passed could be dangerous for the poor blonde.

All eyes now turned towards Quatre's Father. His eyes were wide and held both surprise and malcontent. He now regretted to have allowed guests other than family come to the ceremony. He didn't even turned to look at Quatre to see if the stranger had by any chance guessed right, he was completely sure his son was fine and in no immediate danger.

"Please…" was the last thing Wufei said staring around in disbelief. A boy could be dying right in front of his eyes and no one would do anything. Why was everyone just staring stupidly at him like that, and why was he so certain that the boy wasn't breathing?

XXX XXX XXX

**A/N: **I'm at it again!!! And this time I really overdid myself with the length of this chapter. Never before had I written a chapter this long. Anyways, I only wish to thank whoever reaches these notes because it means they've read the whole thing. Please don't leave without dropping by a review, even if it's a little one, k?


	2. The Power

**Warning:** Some content in this chapter deals with religion and such. If you are not comfortable with such themes, I suggest you forget about this chapter

**_(Italic_**-written paragraphs mean flashbacks.)

XXX XXX XXX

****

**Chapter two: The Power**

An officer warily stared at the siblings at customs. Both were waiting for their passports to be approved and a considerable amount of tourists were waiting, regardless that vacations were nearly over. Some guy was arguing something in Italian delaying the whole line. The youngest of the blond pair the officer couldn't keep his eyes off, sighed wearily. His sight traveled around the government office and landed on the officer. Their eyes met for a moment and after a while parted at the exact same time. Apparently the guy at the front was finally done with his complaints or whatever he was saying and now it was their turn.

"Bom dia" said a nice-looking lady at the desk "parla in italliano?(1)"

Iria nodded in consent and proceeded to take care of the requested formalities. Quatre simply stared at his sister understanding probably a word out of every ten. He had really tried to learn Italian, as his Father requested, but left the instruction soon after it had begun. Languages weren't exactly his specialty and he supposed that Arabic, English, French, Japanese and German were enough.

A couple of minutes later his eldest sister, Iria, was done and they were allowed to leave customs. After a quick stop at a car rental they were on their way to their hotel.

"So, are you finally going to tell me what's all this about?" Iria asked her brother finally breaking the long silence.

Quatre didn't tear his gaze off the car window. Instead, he sighed and pursed his lips. Iria chanced a glance at his brother and saw his face reflected on the window.

"Alright then, keep the secret" said the woman.

"I'm sorry Iria" put in Quatre quickly finally turning around to face his sister, "it's just…"

"Don't worry about it, I understand. Only that it's really got to be very important if you're going to miss the first days of school in this truth-searching crusade…You see, when I was 16 and went under the initiation process and all, I was also full of doubts, but apparently yours are way bigger than mine, if you're simply throwing everything away for this… It surprised us, the whole family I mean, that's all"

Iria smiled fondly at her brother. She didn't want to admit it, but curiosity was eating her alive. Still, she was more than wiling to let her brother open up whenever he felt like it.

Quatre on his side was grateful to have a sister like Iria. Even though he had 28 other sisters, he felt Iria was the only one to truly understand him. When he had asked out of nowhere to be taken to The Vatican after spending a whole week shut inside his bedroom with no human contact, Iria had offered immediately to accompany him.

Quatre yet again sighed as he turned back to look outside the window and remembered what had happened that fateful day. It had been precisely a week ago and every single detail stood vividly in his mind

_Like I could forget **that **_

XXX XXX XXX

_"Aren't you going to do something?"_

_No one did anything._

_No one made a move._

_And yet, the boy was still dying._

_"He's not breathing!"_

_They were all like ice statues, not a move._

_"Please…"_

Just a night before going back into school, Wufei woke at what must've been really early in the morning. Outside it was still dark. Angrily tossing aside his blankets he sat on his bed's edge and vigorously rubbed his sleepy eyes with his knuckles. Blindly staring around he made out his room's outline and headed for the bathroom.

While Wufei took care of his business, the clock flashed in red numbers the hour: 3:14 a.m. So much for wanting a good night's sleep. Back to bed he tripped on a chair, just to add up to his bad mood. Next to his bed was a portrait with a smiling Chinese girl, dark pigtails hanging to either side of her face.

"What are _you_ staring at?" snapped Wufei moodily as if the portrait had been the offending source of all his troubles. To make things worse, or better, depending on the perspective, the portrait didn't answer back and Wufei had to content himself by flipping it face down.

"God!" he sighed, "Ms. Noin's gonna eat me alive if I'm late to her class."

Wufei desperately tried to will himself back into sleep. All he did, however, was toss and turn and end up getting very hot. He angrily disentangled himself of his blankets and just lay there, with his arms spread at his sides and looking stupidly up at the ceiling, knowing beforehand that the whiteness in it would not give him a solution to his sudden insomnia. He knew he desperately needed to get back to sleep, or it would take a hurricane to get him out of bed the next morning, but he also knew that he wasn't exactly keen on going back to his dreams.

For about a week, the same memory kept haunting him in his dreams, and every single day of such week he had woken up, just as he had done a few minutes ago. He dearly hoped he wouldn't have to get used to it. No matter what he did, he always went back to that place… the Winner mansion.

_"Please…"_

_Mr. Winner was beside himself with fury, and a close look at his eyes would reveal hatred unlike any other ever registered in the elderly man._

_"How… how dare you interrupt this ceremony?" he asked in a low, quavering, yet dangerous, tone to the insolent stranger. A sudden flood of memories assaulted him, memories of those who thought he and his family were a bunch of liars, and kept making fun of the respectable Winner family, even in local newspapers. He was willing to bet anything he owned that this guy was one of those skeptical fools that had simply taken a step too far._

_Wufei knew for a fact that he wasn't really aware of how exactly these sort of ceremonies were held, and normally he wouldn't even have dreamed of interrupting, but before he could stop himself, some unknown force within him had made him speak up. And what was even more unexplainable was that he knew for sure his statement wasn't erroneous. He simply wished that at least _someone_ would just stop trying to bore holes into him with their eyes and checked on the blonde by the altar… just to make sure._

_Glancing back and forth, looking pleadingly at those standing right next to him and all the way down to Mr. Winner, it was suddenly clear that nobody was going to make a move until it was too late._

_"I'm really sorry Mr. Winner" said Wufei quietly, setting his gaze at the fallen boy._

_Without warning, he sprinted up to where Mr. Winner was standing. Caught off guard, the man could do nothing to prevent the agile Wufei from entering the sacred circle made by the rope and reaching out for his son._

_"Stop!" roared Mr. Winner after his mind registered what had just happened before his eyes._

_With his mind lingering around dark thoughts about wrapping his fingers around the Chinese youth's neck, he simply bit his lower lip and dared to enter the circle. The air somehow felt heavier and thicker there, and if he hadn't been in such a hurry to get to the intruder and his son, he might've even noticed that everything outside the rope seemed blurred._

_Wufei tried shaking the kid, both hoping and not that he was wrong, but he got no answer. He raised the blonde's head placing a hand at the back of it and discovering that the boy was burning in fever. Finally bringing a finger right underneath his nose, Wufei's worst fears were confirmed._

_"Step away from my son" came the dangerous voice of Senior Winner as he towered over the hunched figure of Wufei._

_Wufei took a quick look at the man and weighted his chances. Deciding he had time, he began stripping the young Winner of his heavy woolen outfit before he was brusquely yanked away by the raging father. Breaking his fall with a quick hand, Wufei pleaded once more._

_"Please sir, will you just listen!" Wufei almost yelled at the man, but found enough will to keep his voice steady, "look at your son, just take a _look _at him. You're here now, it can't hurt to have a look." Wufei was just about to attempt something again when he first got no answer, but stopped when the man looked down._

_Through the patch made by Wufei's hasty attempt of removing Quatre's clothes, Mr. Winner stared at his son's chest, expecting the normal, steady rise and descent that a breathing motion would provoke. Maybe it was a trick of the light, or something, but his eyes truly registered there was a lack of such movement._

_"He's…" Mr. Winner's eyes widened in horror, "he's…"_

_"Not breathing!" completed Wufei in an exasperated cry._

_"But…"_

_Mr. Winner became suddenly helpless, standing there like a puppet without a puppeteer to pull its strings. Wufei had to fight a new urge to beat the man senseless for his actions, but more important matters were at hand._

_Making his way to the boy, he finished stripping the kid of the heavy garments and started looking for a pulse. It was very faint. Deciding he had better do something quick, Wufei pulled the blonde's head back, opened his mouth and proceeded to apply some CPR._

Wufei woke with a start for the second time that day. It took him a while to understand what was going on. A look at the watch told him everything he needed to know.

"FUCK!"

Seeing it was nearly 8:00 a.m. it all hit him like a bucket of ice. Even though he hadn't been able to sleep and had decided to accomplish the incredible feat of keeping himself awake for another five hours, he had miserably failed and dropped snoring only a couple of minutes later. No sooner than that, he had begun dreaming.

The details of his dream weren't really clear, but he was absolutely sure it had been the same dream, or his name wasn't Wufei…and it was.

Trying to regain balance as he hopped around his bedroom with a leg stuck to his trousers, he reached out for the rest of his clothes and tried this time to accomplish a new record of getting dressed, having breakfast and brushing his teeth, all in less than five minutes, the time he had to leave his house and make his way towards school.

"Ms. Noin's gonna kill me!" he whined running to the kitchen half dressed.

XXX XXX XXX

"So, how do you like your room?"

Iria found Quatre neatly folding his clothes inside a drawer. She smiled sweetly at him and made her way next to him as he was putting away a pair of socks.

"One would think that you being a boy made you messy" said Iria, her smile widening. Quatre smiled back.

"There's nothing wrong with me liking order" answered the boy closing the drawer with a push of his hips and looking back at his sister who had now settled on the bed.

"Of course not baby."

"Don't call me that, I turned sixteen a week ago."

"But you'll always be the family's baby."

Quatre sighed and dropped next to his sister putting an arm over his eyes. It was late and outside the sky was already black, dotted here and there with a few stars. It had taken them a while to find the hotel they'd be staying at. However, considering that none had ever been at Rome before, they managed themselves fairly with a map, making only one wrong turn during the whole trip. Still, it was good to finally be able to get a place to sleep. They were both tired of traveling.

"Well, seeing as it's late, we'll make our way to The Vatican tomorrow, 'kay?"

Quatre caught a glimpse of his sister with his left eye, the one he uncovered from his arm, and nodded when she turned to see him. Iria leaned down and kissed her little brother on his front.

"Good night, babe."

"Night Iria."

When his sister closed the door, Quatre found that he was too lazy to get up, get himself undressed and turn the lights off. He just lay there for a couple of minutes more before actually heaving himself up to do what he had to do to get a good night's sleep. Lucky for him he'd taken a bath in the morning, or he would've had to hit the shower first, which would've probably scared the sleep away.

As he finally turned the bedside lamp off he tried to get to sleep, but his eyes just wouldn't keep closed. It greatly annoyed him, the fact that he was always very sleepy, but when the time came to rest, he simply couldn't get to it. Instead he rolled to one side and looked at the curtains moving gently with the wind. Something in their movement made him drowsy, and his mind started traveling to every single thought he had about that day. About the flight, about the city, about the hotel, about the reason for this trip…

**_ You must get your answers _**

"I must get my answers, but I don't know where to find them"

**_ You'll know in the end _**

That day, during his sixteenth birthday, he had great fears of failing and looking like a fool to the rest of the people gathered there to see him.

** _Are you afraid? _**

Well, he had definitely been. For a long time, all he could think about had been the ceremony, and nothing else. He had been panicking for so long that time had somehow doubled its speed just to make fun of him.

But then, once he was inside the rope, right before the altar, all thoughts had been replace with a familiar, unknown voice. A voice that led him through the most unbelievable experience he'd ever had.

**_ Yes, my dear, come _**

_Unsure of what else to do, Quatre took a tentative step forward, outside the protection of the ring made around the ceremonial space._

_At first, there was nothing. Then Quatre saw the light. Bright, blinding, white. It engulfed him, overwhelmed him, and Quatre had to shut his eyes tight, and shield his face with his arms._

**_ It is beautiful, is it not? _**

_When he was finally able to open his eyes and take a peek from behind his arms, he found himself standing in a garden…_

"It's beautiful"

_He felt an emotion so powerful, so intense, he fell to his knees, unable to keep himself standing. It was a peaceful emotion, reassuring, comforting…_

_In a flash of light he saw everything go to a tremendous speed, like someone had pressed the fast forward button to this vision. He saw the garden bloom to its full extent, and then begin to wither, taken over by a sudden darkness. After the garden, there was a desert left, everything was dead around him and all he could feel was despair, fear and sadness._

"What's going on?"

**_ You have witnessed good and evil. _**

_Quatre searched around hopelessly to find the source of the voice. All along he knew the voice belonged to him, but he still couldn't help the feeling of not being alone._

**_ You have witnessed life and death. _**

"Why?"

_Once again everything zoomed right before his eyes. He saw humankind's complete history, he saw men fight against prehistoric creatures, he saw men dancing around a fire, he saw men drawing meaningless pictures everywhere… then he saw a storm, lightning, thunder. Lightning fell and everything was destroyed. The images before him shattered to pieces, like made out of glass._

"What was that?"

_The voice in his head began to laugh._

_Once more, he was taken in a mind-spinning journey. He saw wars, he saw empires rise and fall, he saw life, he saw death._

_The he saw two figures standing before him. Two figures he knew well… the very incarnations of good and evil._

**_ The day He was born. _**

_Quatre knew what the voice meant without even asking._

_He saw the crosses up at the mount. He saw a man die, and darkness all around._

_Quatre slowly walked up to the cross and looked up. The man was definitely dead and his eyes were closed. All around the place, the darkness covered everything, and soon a face emerged from it. It was beautiful, at some point, twisted and distorted once he took a second look at it._

_Both emotions of good and evil hit him with such force, and both at the same time, he felt like passing out. Quatre began to gag and then to choke. The air was missing from his lungs and he fell to his knees, coughing loudly._

_All around the darkness was replaced with more moving history. He saw more men, more places, more wars. It was all moving so fast he was feeling dizzier with every second that passed. Then he felt himself rise, slowly and steadily, just as history itself was coming to present days._

_He was floating, away from the ones in front of him. Just as he was right above them, they looked up at him. Behind, another desert had appeared with dead bodies littering the floor. As he turned to look at the ones before him, he felt a power so amazing, he forgot all about his dizziness and lack of breath. Those eyes were looking up to him… where looking adoringly at him, like…. Like…_

**_ A God? _**

"No! That's impossible…"

**_ Is it? _**

"I want to go back."

_Warmth surrounded him, like someone's embrace, and the images Quatre was looking at were slowly fading away. Everything was dark once more, but he felt safe. And then, a wonderful sensation somewhere in his body. He felt alive once more, for the first time in what seemed a thousand lifetimes, he felt truly alive._

_Quatre was dimly aware that someone was pressing lips against his own, but the sole sensation sent something, much like electric shocks, throughout his entire form. He found himself breathing once again, and everything but his lips were numb. Quatre's lips twitched and next thing he knew, he was kissing those lips… those lips that had brought him back to life._

_For a second the owner of the opposing pair of lips seemed shocked and paralyzed. Then obliged with the blonde's request into what was unmistakably a kiss. It was quick and soft… almost frightened of breaking the delicate kid lying there._

_When they parted Quatre felt cold and shivered. The shiver brought him back to reality and when he opened his eyes he found himself staring into an unfamiliar, Chinese featured, male face. They both stared at each other, ignoring the words of a frustrated father behind them. Onyx-black and aquamarine lost each other inside those pools of color with a silent understanding. That moment they had shared was theirs, and it would never repeat itself despite how good it had been._

Quatre was mumbling in his sleep, uttering undistinguishable words like a drunken man.

"Wufei…" he said, "…shouldn't have kissed him…"

**_ The power now belongs to you. You are now the only owner of the truth. _**

"The truth…"

**_ Yes… the power to become a God… the power mankind needs to overcome divinity. _**

"The power…"

**_ You saw it, they were looking at you, adoring you…"_**

"I don't want it"

**_ It is yours… take it! _**

Unknown to a sleeping young blonde, an angel in Heaven and a demon in Hell were stirring awake from their sleep.

XXX XXX XXX

(1) I don't really know Italian myself, but my attempts were to say "Good morning, do you speak Italian?" If it's wrong, I'd appreciate it if someone could just tell me the right way to say it so that I may correct it. Thanks!


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